National Republican., 1887-04-23
THE WEAKER SEX.
Relative Decay OF Mon and Women
Disease Less Fatal Among Females.
;[Pittsburg Commercial Gazette.l

,TPittsburg Commercial Gazette
Woman has traditional reputation Tor
being the weaker vessel, but 1t is possible
that the men are most subject to all the
influences Of decay. In an age 30 ancient
that the accounts of 1t are referred to fable
rather than to history, 1t is related that
there existed nations Of women who
carried on all the operations OF
business, agriculture, and war without
the aid of man. These Amazons, OF
whom there appear to have been three ma
tions, inhabited the Tartar countries OF Eu-
rope and Asia, while there are accounts Of
them In Africa. Herodotus relates that
Thalestris, queen OF the Asiatic Amazons,
with train of 800 Of her warrior woman,
visited Alexander while he was pursuing
his conquests in the east. They were ex.
ceedingly warlike, and were supposed to
have derived their national appellation
from the practice of destroying. by exciSion
or burning, the right breast, which impeded
their movements In drawing the DOW anh
In throwing the javelln.
However all this may be, 1t appears ex-
tremely possible that there have been
periods In the history of the world when
the men Of certain nations have been almost
wholly exterminated In destructive and
savage warfare, leaving the women to take
care of themselves. Wars are neither
as numerous nor vindietiye as they
1000 years of Rome the celebrated
Temple of Janus, which was kept
open in the time of war and closed while
peace lasted, was closed only three times,
and then for short periods, and In these
1000 years Of war every empire, Kingdom,
and government In the known world had
been overthrown in the course OF the inces-
SAINT conflict of arms in which myriads OF
men persisted.
1t is obvious enough that the destruction
OF masculine life was excessive In ancient
times, and by consequence the world always
had superabundance Of women, aud this
Is the case to-day In all the older nations.
In the United States, the newest OF the
populous countries, to which from the be-
ginning there has constantly tended a
large male immigration, as result there Is
in the Union a considerable excess OF men,
but In most of the older states the women
are In the majority.
Coming back to the questions concerning
the relative rate of decay of the sexes, even
In a new country, with fresh and vlgcr-
GUS population like the United States, all
the advantages appear on the side OF the
women. The figures of the census OF 1880
show these facts most curiously and con-
;lusively. The following will be interest
ing:
The total population of the Union, as
given In round numbers, Is Males, 25 ,5lS,-
00O females, "a, ,036,00O. The total annual
deaths were : Males, 391 900; females, 1884,
600. In proportion to the population
96S, 600 women should have died to maintain
the same relative mortality with the men.
or the defective classes there were OF
idiots As, 600 males and 1000 females. In
proportion there should have been $4,000
female idiots. or the blind there were
900 males and $4,000 females. lu pro.
portion there should have been "a 900 blind
women.
OF the deaf mutes there were $1,000
males and 1900 females. In proportion
there should have been 1900 deaf mute
women.
ln almshouses there were 30, 900 men and
81 900 women; In proportion there should
have been $1,000 pauper women.
In prisons there were 81, 900 men and 5, 200
women; To maintain the proportion there
should have been $4,000 women In prison,
or ten times as maay as there were.
The only place where the weakness of
woman was shown was In the matter of in
sanity, the statlstics Of which give 1900
men and $4,000 women In public asylums.
To maintain the relation there should have
been only Al 900 insane woman. When,
however, IL is considered how much cause
for female dementia is contributed by the
men the small number of crazy women Is
notable.
thus 1t will be seen that the weaker sex
10 far less subject to the influences that pro-
duce death and decay than is the stronger
and from these considerations may be de-
Quoted the possibility in the remote future
OF the appearance on the earth OF other